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Z-Brush 3.1 & external UVs workflow. No more exploding OBJs!

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#41

Grrrr, still having problems. If I sculpted my high res model. Now I have made UV’s on the low res model in Maya.

If I use cubes, it will not be able to ProjectAll with the original mesh ( that has no cubes ). Plus, It still brings the problem with scale ( or placement ) comparing to the high res mesh. Unless I do all my high res detail after I UV my stuff, which is not what I am trying to do. A feature of Zbrush is to worry about UVs later right ?

I do appreaciate the idea though, since it helps with other issues. Maybe I’m just being a dork. Let me know if I missed something vital.

Anyone seeing the light ?

#42

Sounds pretty extreme,

Maybe…You might have to retypo :confused:

or

Cut your original model into small pieces and convert to subtools (head,arms,body etc), then export them at low rez to maya to do uvs.
Import back to ZB and project all for each subtool. If you need them to be one single mesh do the cubes trick on the new subtools afterwards to bring it together.

Also you can mask/hide to only effect specific areas of the mesh when you project all

I have run into this issue so many times now that I simply test each model before I get to the hirez stuff. Export the model to maya, open it and export straight back to zbrush just to see if it frags or not.

All the methods I have suggested have either worked trial by error or in combination for me, in other words you got to beat it into submission :smiley:

I really don’t think it is the UVing which is causing the issue but more likely the model is corrupted and maya ‘fixes’ the problem by assigning a new vertex order?..my two cents

Good luck

#43

essclock

Just a thought,
Try taking your orig model to the highest subd lvl and delete all lower, then convert to polymesh and reconstruct the lower subd lvls, then export lowest lvl and see if it will import back into ZB without fraging.

The idea being to create a stable vertex order within ZB so maya has no need to make a new one.

:+1:

#44

很好很强大，呵呵～

#45

Many people here refer to headus for uv’s. I went to their site and saw there is a commercial version and a non-commercial one. Can this non-commercial version do all you need to do? I’m not talking about very high-end specific tasks, but simply unwrapping uv from zbrush.

thanks.

#46

Thanks to everyone who has been adding to this thread. It is one of my only Zbrush related “thorns in the side”.

I have taken a little break from the problem the last few days, and just got on with modeling more stuff. Tomorrow, I’m gonna play around and will definitely use this thread for ideas. I’ll let you guys know what happens.

Erik Heyninck,

Thanks for the suggestion. I have played with Headus briefly at my old job. It seemed very powerful, but I didn’t have time to learn it very well. I will check out their non-commercial version. Thanks.

Gonna try it in combination with Zbrush and see if I still have any hassles.

Thanks guys.

#47

The non-commercial version will let you un-warp a mesh and flatten it, the extra stuff is very useful but you could get by without it by importing the mesh back into your ext 3D app and using its uv tools to layout the flattened UV in 0-1

#48

Today I have spent some hours on this topic… I had a high detail mesh in Zbrush 3.1 with 7 subd levels and wanted to export the lowest level to maya to create UV´s.
When reimporting the UV-layouted mesh to ZBrush, the painted polys changed, and when I switched to a higher subd level, the geometry “exploded”.

I tried some of the approaches from this thread, but it didn´t fix the problem.

*** I forgot to uncheck the “create multiple objects” option in maya 2008 import ***

:lol:

update:

i am getting the exploded meshes again, no matter what i am importing and exporting between maya 2008 and zbrush (also with a simple cube with one subd level)

:mad:

cheers m°

#49

It seems like people are afraid of getting theirs hands dirty with regard to fragging meshes on import (including work collegues who let out a big D’oh when I explain the solution to them) even to the point of having two versions of maya installed.
I can honestly say I have over come the problem and lost no detail/work on any mesh and it was all on jobs with tight deadlines!

The best method is to develop a sixth sense and make sure your model is clean before you go and do all the fun hi rez detailing.

The techinque is to export and import, if it frags then fix it! And get the UVs out of the way while your at it. You know your good to go when there is no issue with the import. (D’oh)

All of the problems so far have a similar tune, la la la la la la, oh no no please god NO! WHY! TAKE ME INSTEAD! followed by calm acceptance and then denial and then blame (ooh ZB shouldn’t be so buggy)

Then again maybe I’m preaching to n–bs:rolleyes:

#50

lol good one :smiley:

#51

Ok.

I seem to get good results if:

  1. I take the Un-UV’d model back down to SubD1.

  2. Create Morph Target.

  3. Import UV’d model ( it is waaaaay too big )

  4. Switch Morph Target

  5. ( this is the step I think leaving out was the problem ) Click Reproject Higher SubD.

#52

So, I just ran across this thread and I think this is part of the same problem I am having. What do you all think?

I have not had any issues with importing my base level mesh back into my models, nor have I had my model blow up upon re-importing my base mesh back in at level one after I have polypainted. However, I am having issues with not being able to use the Fix seam option from my color map texture. Also with using Zmapper for generating my Normal maps.

Has anybody else has had the same problem? I created a model in Maya and then layed out the UVs Using Headus UVLayout. Now I am having problems in Zbrush when it comes to creating my texture maps and Normal maps.

I am able to create my texture maps fine but I am unable to use the Fix seam feature. It will not increase the borders for me at all. Then when I try and use Zmapper I am unable to make a Normal map. It’s as if Zmapper locks up and Zbrush crashes. Today I did a simple test. I created a cube in Maya. I saved the file out three times for different test. One of the cubes I used Maya and laid out my UV’s. The other two I used Headus UVLayout for my UVs. One of them I used the Normal Poly type. The third I used the SubD type. I was able to create texture maps and normal maps just fine with the first cube, where the UVs were laid out using Maya. I was able to use the Fix seam feature and I had no issues with seams when rendering. Zmapper worked just fine. The two other cubs that I laid out the UVs using Headus caused nothing but problems. I was unable to correct the seam issues with the Fix Seam and fs border tools. Furthermore, Zmapper did nothing crash.

So, I guess the question I have is, Has anybody else had problems with their models when they used Headus UVlayout? If So, was there anything that you were able to do to make the model render out ok?

Please Help. I really hate laying out my UV’s manually in Maya. Headus is such a great program. It would be such a waste if I could not use this amazing software.

Thanks in Advanced

Brian.

#53

Have you tried using the update button instead of the save button in uvlayout?I think you should try asking at their forums, they should be able to help.

#54

Normand3D

Yea, I was given similar advice. I guess that my UV’s were not welded together when I use the save feature with UVLayout. I re-imported my Mesh, welded the UV’s and used the update feature. I then re-imported my base mesh back into my model and it fixed all of my problems. What a strange thing. You would think that by saving you would have no problems. Thank you all so much for your help.

Brian

#55

For anyone looking for a free UV unwrapper, check out RoadKill. You can’t beat the price (FREE) if all you need another 3D app for us UV layout.

http://www.pullin-shapes.co.uk/page8.htm

-Dustin

#56

x2
yes its an awesome little app

#57

Hi everybody , i deal with this problem about 1 out of every 10 models i do.
and it used to make me loose my hair , it used to just happen when i have brought a model back from posing it in maya , but now it decides that it will do it “sometimes” when i am just doing the uvs , i tryed so many things .

trying to have the cleanist UVs to having te best topology posible but , the big thing is ,if it is going to happen it will happen , i have checked all normals on each subd level and if the vertex orders are diff it would explode asoon as you bring the inport in to zbrush , or it will just not alow it to import in, so iam guessing that it happens when you do your first subdivision in zbrush , but enough crap"n on , heres my fix

this must be all done in order or for some strange reason it wont work, (and i mean the strangenes is with the "saving tool"after nearly every action)

ok

  • go to the highist subd level and delete lower
    -“SAVE”-RE-OPEN"
    -reconstruct the levels to the lowest sub
    -“SAVE-RE-OPEN”
    -make a morph target and export it with the export “drop down box” (not where it says load tool "import "save 'export ( allso do not clik the merge button just leave it as group)
    -SAVE
  • ok now i have found that it freeks out half the time if i go stright to headus or maya and layout the uvs the way you want them ,

so i leave that alone and go to maya (NOT even going into vertex or any other mode) just simply giving it an “auto mapping” and bring it back to zbrush

ok ,

  • import the new obj in press the switch button for the morph target and move up to the highest subd level
    and YEAH! save and re-open (must state save at the highest level)
    (i know there is no reason y the mesh would be still giving problems now it is switched over and you are at the highest level , but i have found my smiles
    quickly hang down if i dont save it at this point)

  • open back up and make another morph target exporting with the murge uvs button checked and go do your uvs ,

these steps seem enoying and pointless with the saving and re-opening all the time but it workes "EVERY TIME “”

and i think not seeing an exploding mesh for a while is make’n my hair grow back

#58

awesome. Hadn’t tried this yet, but I’ve been trying to figure how to do this for a long time now, couldnt so I gave up and tossed my old models to the side. It kept explodddding, with this I can go back without starting my zbrush project over because of UV’s screwing up everytime I bring it back into maya.

#59

I think cc909 already covered this but here it is again.

http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=62810&highlight=fix+normal+map+seams vbmenu_register(“postmenu_487712”, true);

#60

Hey guys,

So, I was doing some postmortem on my problem with my UV’s and I have found that there is another possible candidate for causing errors on a models UV sets. After a model has been imported into Zbrush, altered and then re-exported for any number of reasons then brought back again, a simple Zbrush setting can help eliminate some huge headaches.

I found this information in Scott Spencer’s Book ZBrush Character Creation – Advanced Digital Sculpting. Scott states on page 249 that you should go into Zbrush setting for Export and make sure that in the Export feature Mrg is turned on and that Grp is turned off. He states that by having the Mrg button unselected Zbrush will export out your model’s UV’s were each UV is unmerged.

I am not sure if this is where my error was derived from or from UVLayout, But none the less when I looked at my UV’s in Maya everything looked just fine until I selected a single UV and tried to move it. Yes in fact all of my UV’s were separated out but looked just fine. So, Make sure that your MRG button is selected if you want to avoid any problems when exporting out your Obj’s that have existing UV’s assigned to them from outside software.

Also, If you have not had the chance to pick up Scott Spencers’s Book I would highly recommend it. I have a lot of Gnomon Training tutorials and they are all fantastic. But when it comes to looking for a solution to a problem it just sucks looking through each video to find just the right answer. Well This book is a great desk reference tool that every Zbrush user New to advanced should have handy. You never know when you will need some quick advice.

Brian.